A new accusation against Dr Who's effect on children was reported by John Timpson in Today, sceptically recalling 'how Noddy used to encourage them to racialism when he was beastly to poor old Golly, and Tom and Jerry roused them to violence every time they thumped each other. In a recent series, Dr Who was opposed by a selection of giant, hairy spiders; and, now, Dr Michael Hession, a consultant psychiatrist to the Church of England Children's Society, reckons that many children subsequently suffered spider nightmares—as a change, I suppose, from Dalek nightmares and Cybermen nightmares.' But a listener to Today wrote in to point out the positive side of the spider, as expressed by Dr Muffet, in the 16th century: 'I will declare unto you the rich virtues and good gifts of Spiders. The colour of a Spider is somewhat pale, such as Ovid ascribeth to lovers, and when she hangeth in her web, with her legs wide and large spread abroad, she perfectly and lively expresseth the shape and proportion of a painted starre. The skin of a spider is so soft, smooth, polished and neat that it farre surpasseth that of the daintiest and most beautiful strumpet's. She bath fingers that the most gallant virgins desire to have theirs like them . . long, slender, round, of exact feeling. Indeed, there is no man, nor any creature, that can compare with her.'

Caption: Garden spider: 'a painted starre'

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